Insomnia Again

[[Si...]]

I’m 10 years off and had been feeling totally normal. Sleeping perfectly fine every night. I got a bad cold and took NyQuil three nights in a row. Had rebound insomnia the first night after stoping. The only other med I took was Afrin nose spray. That was almost three weeks ago though. Still mostly slept fine after that first night off. I did have some health anxiety and now I have barely been able to sleep the last three nights. First night I had some broken sleep. Last night I had short bursts of sleep, but I couldn’t tell. I only knew because my wife heard me snoring. This is so far the third night where I can’t sleep. I have no idea how this is happening again. Just a few days ago I was falling asleep within 15 minutes and staying asleep for 6-7 hours. I’m totally dumbfounded. Could it be the alcohol in the NyQuil? Would it really take three weeks to effect me?

Edited March 12 by [Si...]

[[Th...]]

Hey Siggy, 

It's nice to see you on the boards again, but not under these circumstances.  Not sure if it will help you or not, but I still get waves of insomnia and I'll be 8 years off in August.  I can sleep fine for months or even a full year or more, then I get hit with random insomnia waves.  Most only last a few days to a few weeks now, but earlier, like around the 3 year off mark, I had one that lasted almost 2 months.  I had insomnia waves at 4, 5 and 6 years off too that lasted anywhere between 2-6 weeks and I still get a zero night about one or two times per year.  I doubt that little bit of alcohol could cause an insomnia wave at 10 years out?  But anything is possible...I guess. And you know from prior alcohol experience that, that usually kicks in within a day or two or maybe 3 afterwards? It seems highly unlikely that it would kick in 3 weeks later? 

I took Benzos after a few off nights sort of like you are describing now...they were not Benzo related so I have no idea what caused them?  I stopped trying to connect the dots because nothing ever made any sense or added up.  Now I just accept the one-off nights I get here and there.

Unisom (doxylamine) never worked for me for about the first 3 years after I did my CT, but now one 25mg pill makes me relaxed enough to at least get 3-5 hours on those one off nights that I get every few months.  Back in the thick of it, 3-5 hours would have been great, but today it does suck.  Also, I have fairly good success with Lazarus Naturals CBD sleep gummies. 

If I have a bad night now, I always have a decent night the next night.  Use all of the coping skills you learned over the years and try not to let it get to you psychologically...although I know that's hard to do.  But I know this mini-wave or whatever you are going through will even out and come to an end.  Hang in there.   

Edited March 13 by [Th...]

[[he...]]

On 12/03/2024 at 05:11, [[S...] said:

I’m 10 years off and had been feeling totally normal. Sleeping perfectly fine every night. I got a bad cold and took NyQuil three nights in a row. Had rebound insomnia the first night after stoping. The only other med I took was Afrin nose spray. That was almost three weeks ago though. Still mostly slept fine after that first night off. I did have some health anxiety and now I have barely been able to sleep the last three nights. First night I had some broken sleep. Last night I had short bursts of sleep, but I couldn’t tell. I only knew because my wife heard me snoring. This is so far the third night where I can’t sleep. I have no idea how this is happening again. Just a few days ago I was falling asleep within 15 minutes and staying asleep for 6-7 hours. I’m totally dumbfounded. Could it be the alcohol in the NyQuil? Would it really take three weeks to effect me?

Oh no Siggy! Hoped it passed already. Idguess it was the nyquil or nose spray. If i must i use salt water nosesprays only, not the one with the chemical i forget the name. Virusses can also affect sleep briefly.

As you can see i am still here at 29 months not healed lol. I guess overal there is improvement but its soooo slow. Its never ending cycles of up and down.

[[su...]]

Siggy, how are you doing since last posting?  I followed your story my first year in withdrawal as I was also one of those very short-time use Buddies. I’m unfortunately back after a LONG stretch of feeling healed (close to 2 years), and likewise trying to figure out why/what the hell.  

Aside your recent insomnia experience, I hope you are and have been doing well!  

[[Si...]]

Ugh, nope I wish I were doing better. This hit me after feeling great for about 3-1/2 years. Insomnia still really bad. I can't stand it.

[[Th...]]

Siggy, 

Sorry your sleep is TEMPORARILY not good.  Remember and hold onto the fact that if you slept well for 3.5 years, you will sleep well again....SOON!  Last May I had about 3.5 weeks of poor sleep that produced 2-3 zero nights and a lot of 1-4 hour nights.  I was literally freaking out too, but then it slowly ended and while I've had some one off nights since then, it was nothing like May of 2023.  I've also had insomnia only waves or setbacks at 18 months off (lasted about 2 months) and again at 3, 4, 5, and 6 years  off that lasted from a week to 6 weeks.  There was no rhyme or reason for any of it.  They always evened out and ended.  But like you, I've also slept well for 1.5 to 2 years at a time without any one-off nights!  I'd try 25mg of Unisom or some melatonin or CBD gummies.   

[[An...]]

OP said>>>

Quote

 I did have some health anxiety 

This sounds like the insomnia culprit to me after 10 years off and over 3 years of feeling good. What was the health anxiety about?

[[My...]]

I have had terrible insominia and have been sleeping about 3 hours a night. I switched from Xanax to Valium to tapper and have been taking 2.5 am, 2.5 afternoon and 10 at night. Any suggestions on dosing Valium to get more sleep?

[[Si...]]

On 20/03/2024 at 17:38, [[A...] said:

OP said>>>

This sounds like the insomnia culprit to me after 10 years off and over 3 years of feeling good. What was the health anxiety about?

Had a bad cold that turned into a bad sinus thing. I've never had sinus problems in my whole life. Stupidly went down the rabbit hole looking on the Internet for why liquid was shooting out of my nose every time I bent over.

Insomnia is just slightly better now two weeks out. At least I had 3 solid days in a row, but last night I only got about 3 hours of light sleep. I'm really hoping to get back to my previous sleep routine soon.

[[or...]]

@[Si...] I take half a 25 mg Unisom sleep tab when I have a rough patch of insomnia. You could go up to a whole tab. I also take 2 mg of melatonin. I alternate Unisom with 25 mgs CBD after a couple of weeks. Chamomille tea encourages sleep, too. Hope these idea help. Best wishes.

[[An...]]

5 hours ago, [[S...] said:

Had a bad cold that turned into a bad sinus thing. I've never had sinus problems in my whole life. Stupidly went down the rabbit hole looking on the Internet for why liquid was shooting out of my nose every time I bent over.

Insomnia is just slightly better now two weeks out. At least I had 3 solid days in a row, but last night I only got about 3 hours of light sleep. I'm really hoping to get back to my previous sleep routine soon.

I think you will be fine. I also have health anxiety flares that really disrupt my sleep. 20 minutes of light to moderate aerobic exercise about 2 hours bf bedtime and 15 minutes of meditation right before bed really helps me (when I do it, LOL). I don't always do it though.

[[Ct...]]

23 hours ago, [[o...] said:

@[Si...] I take half a 25 mg Unisom sleep tab when I have a rough patch of insomnia. You could go up to a whole tab. I also take 2 mg of melatonin. I alternate Unisom with 25 mgs CBD after a couple of weeks. Chamomille tea encourages sleep, too. Hope these idea help. Best wishes.

@[or...] What brand of CBD do you use?

[[or...]]

@[Ct...] I order CBD gummies from either Charlotte's Web or Lazarus Naturals (google them for website addresses). They both seem like reputable sources, have easy-to-navigate websites, and fast shipping. I've been consistently pleased. Lazarus, e.g,. incorporates CBG and CBN into one of their formulations, so they seem to be forward-thinking. Oh, you can also buy CBD in the form of oil from either website if you don't want gummies. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Edited March 27 by [or...]

[[Ct...]]

@[or...] Thanks so much for your response!

 

[[Si...]]

On 26/03/2024 at 09:28, [[o...] said:

@[Si...] I take half a 25 mg Unisom sleep tab when I have a rough patch of insomnia. You could go up to a whole tab. I also take 2 mg of melatonin. I alternate Unisom with 25 mgs CBD after a couple of weeks. Chamomille tea encourages sleep, too. Hope these idea help. Best wishes.

I’ve tried both unisom and melatonin and they don’t help me much. I’ve also tried some CBN gummies and it hasn’t had a huge impact. I slept really well Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Monday night was bad, rebound good sleep Tuesday, and last night was awful. No idea how I went from sleeping so well to this.

Thanks for responding to this thread though. 

[[An...]]

I also experience fluctuating good/bad cycles of sleep. This inconsistency can be really frustrating.

[[...]]

Hey @[Si...] so sorry to see you back here again. I hope this wave has ended for you.

[[Sh...]]

Siggy what the hell. I’m real sorry to see u here too. 😔
I always have trouble sleeping during and after a flu. I reckon it’s due to immune inflammation and it always makes me think about Parker’s post - that when symptoms flare up in one area it’s because ur body is fixing something? Do u remember that post? Well In this case ur immune is fighting hard against the virus. At least that’s what I tell myself to get thru it when happens to me. I remember having many zero nights when I had Covid.
I’m 3 years out and I’m starting to think some of my insomnia is learnt behaviour now. I pass out cold on the lounge every night around 7-8 and get up go to bed and usually have trouble falling asleep but when I do I’m lucky to get 4 hrs atm.

im starting to think about sleep restriction again. I’m not going to fight the urge to sleep early in the night, but I’m gunna try to get out of bed when I wake up instead of laying in there trying to go back to sleep which I literally do for hours. 
maybe u could try something similar? 
I reckon this will pass quickly for u mate x 

hang in there ❤️

Edited April 2 by [Sh...]

[[Si...]]

Thanks, yeah the insomnia is the thing I hate the most. Luckily I’ve had five good nights in a row, but I had to exhaust myself doing yard work all day. I have that weird buzzing in my forehead again. Just hoping to get back to my normal self soon. Thanks for the reply and sorry you are also having sleep issues. 
 

I got promoted a year and a half ago and I’m supposed to go on site visits meeting with clients every couple of months. No idea how I can do that dealing with this now.

[[...]]

You got this Siggy, I wish nothing but the best for you. I’m 29 months off and still waiting for my sleep to come back. I don’t think it will though. I’m trying to figure out how I’m going to navigate life as a zombie.

Edited April 9 by [...]

[[Th...]]

Sorry to disappoint you, but your sleep "WILL" come back.  For some unknown reason(s) some people take a lot longer for sleep to return.  I thought you posted awhile back that you got 6 or 8 hours one night? If that can happen then, it will happen again soon and then build into more consistent sleep.  Peace!

[[Si...]]

I had a stretch of 19 days where I slept every night, but I was waking up a lot every couple of hours. Then I had a bad night this past Tuesday. Last two nights were ok. I still don't feel normal yet during the day, even when I've had decent sleep. Hitting the 6 week mark tomorrow. I am grateful that I've at least been able to get some sleep most nights. Hard to go through again. Hoping the other symptoms clear up too.

Sorry to hear all the others here that are still having problems. Xray, I'm hoping yours turns around soon for you as well. 

Edited April 19 by [Si...]

[[Si...]]

On 09/04/2024 at 08:18, [[T...] said:

Sorry to disappoint you, but your sleep "WILL" come back.  For some unknown reason(s) some people take a lot longer for sleep to return.  I thought you posted awhile back that you got 6 or 8 hours one night? If that can happen then, it will happen again soon and then build into more consistent sleep.  Peace!

Thanks bud, I just have to keep pressing forward until it resolves again. I'll have to be really careful about overdoing too many things at once in the future. Especially when I'm sick.